A reader asked in the comments section of yesterday’s blog if there was a chance the Diamondbacks would look to extend the contract of right-hander Ian Kennedy.

I’m not sure where this stands from the club’s perspective, but knowing that Kennedy is a client of Scott Boras, we can safely say the odds of locking up Kennedy to an extension that buys out free-agent years are not good.

Boras clients rarely do long-term deals that extend into free-agent years. And it seems that most of those kinds of deals that do occur for his players are client-driven, like the Carlos Gonzalez extension. By all accounts, it was Gonzalez – not Boras – who pushed for that deal to get done.

Anyway, I talked to Kennedy about it today and he said about what you would expect a player to say.

“I’d listen, obviously,” Kennedy said, when asked if he would be interested in a long-term deal. “I’m not going to say I want it or that I don’t want it, but I’ll listen. I think that’s Scott’s approach, too. You listen to it, but if it doesn’t make sense you can always decline.”

He says he’s never talked to Boras about his opinion on those kinds of deals, but he's familiar with Boras' track record.

There’s no real rush, no reason to worry, about Kennedy’s contractual status. When the Diamondbacks acquired him, he had all six years of club control left, meaning that he’ll earn league minimum next year and will be arbitration eligible from 2013-2015, after which he would be eligible for free agency.

That’s four years, and in the world of pitching, that’s a long, long time.

If Kennedy/Boras would be open to it, a four-year deal with a club option or two probably would be in the best interest of the team. Kennedy’s been very good and the way he does it (fluid delivery, no arm trouble) makes him a decent bet to remain a top-to-mid-rotation starter for the next few years. I’d think the team would be willing to trade some guaranteed dollars for the chance to keep him around an extra year or two.

But would it be something Kennedy would be interested in? I doubt it. Still, wouldn’t hurt for the Diamondbacks to take a run at it at some point.

***

On the topic of closer J.J. Putz’s availability, manager Kirk Gibson said this afternoon that he “expects he’ll be fine.” When asked specifically about Putz’s injury and whether it was related to his back – which was a concern in spring training and popped up again earlier this year – Gibson didn’t really answer the question.

Gibson did provide some entertaining comments about Putz’s diving play from Tuesday night, which is the cause of the Putz’s soreness.

“He was very sore from that,” Gibson said. “If you can imagine the impact of that force on the ground, we’d all be sore. I can’t imagine it. I’m not capable of that because we’re made up differently. He just dove and stuck.”

After getting a laugh from reporters, Gibson had some fun with the “dove and stuck” line, banging on the podium to illustrate how Putz hit the ground. (Check out yesterday’s blog for animated gif action of the play.)

Putz was not available to close out last night's win. Gibson said he was going to check with Putz later today before making a decision on whether he could pitch tonight.

***

The Diamondbacks claimed shortstop Tommy Manzella off waivers from the Astros. Essentially, the move gives them a good defensive shortstop for Triple-A in the event they suffer another injury at the big league level.

To make room, they shifted right-hander Juan Gutierrez to the 60-day disabled list.

Update: Though I called Manzella a "good defensive shortstop" above, I just got around to looking at the numbers. He rated terribly in both UZR and plus/minus. So, statistically, Manzella is neither a good defender nor a good hitter. I'm not sure what Diamondbacks scouts think of him, however.

***

The Diamondbacks are nearing a deal with second-round pick Anthony Meo worth $625,000. Meo is a right-hander out of Coastal Carolina who many thought was an excellent grab with the No. 63 overall pick.

Their 10th-rounder, Kyle Winkler, will undergo a physical tomorrow, meaning he and the Diamondbacks are getting closer to finalizing a deal. Keep in mind, Winkler suffered a fractured bone in his pitching elbow. I’m sure the Diamondbacks are aware of his health situation, but it’s possible his physical won’t be quite as routine as others.

Winkler is a late-round guy who is going to require an overslot deal to sign. Teams sometimes draft those guys in the event negotiations go wrong with some of their higher-round picks. Last year, for example, after they decided not to sign first-round Barret Loux, they spent some of that money on 14th-round pick Ty Linton.

I asked scouting director Ray Montgomery today whether there are any other guys in the later rounds who might be worthy of an overslot deal.

“We have people who would potentially if we need to go that direction, for sure,” Montgomery said. “That’s how it goes.”

I think what he’s saying – or threatening, essentially -- is this: If someone like Archie Bradley (first round) Andrew Chafin (supplemental first) or perhaps Ben Roberts (seventh) don’t sign, the team will turn around and use that money on guys selected later in the draft.

Who could he be referring to? Not sure. Glancing at Baseball America’s scouting reports, I’m guessing guys like Adam Choplick and Michael Cederoth might fit the description. (To be clear: I really don’t know enough about any of those players’ situations to say for sure.)

Again: I have heard nothing to suggest Bradley won’t get done. I’m not guaranteeing it will get done, I’m just saying we’re still a good 48-72 hours from needing to worry about whether it will.

***

Farm report

Triple-A Reno: The Aces dropped their fourth in a row – they’ve really hit the skids, being so depleted and all – as the bullpen coughed up a lead after a solid outing from LHP Zach Kroenke. RHP Kam Mickolio, the other piece in the Mark Reynolds/David Hernandez deal, gave up five runs on four hits and a walk without retiring a batter.

Double-A Mobile: C Ed Easley homered and walked in a loss for Mobile. He’s had a very nice second half, hitting .336 with eight doubles, two homers, a .437 on-base and .467 slugging. This probably qualifies as his best offensive season as a pro.

High-A Visalia: Off.

Low-A South Bend: 3B Matt Helm doubled, singled and walked as South Bend rallied for a win on a day they got a solid outing from RHP Tyler Green. That’s two in a row for Green. As for Helm, he had a slow start, but if he’s figured something out and his second half numbers are what we can expect going forward, he might become a decent prospect. Second half: .275/.376/.471 with nine doubles and seven homers.

***

A day late, but still: Fascinating story by Amy Nelson and Peter Keating over at ESPN.com about the Blue Jays allegedly stealing signs. Jonah Keri had more on the whole affair today over at Grantland.

azcentral.com has switched to the Facebook comment system on its blogs. Existing blog comments will display, but new comments will only be accepted via the Facebook comment system. To begin commenting, you must be logged into an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. While we welcome you to join conversations, readers are responsible for their comments and abuse of this privilege will not be tolerated. We reserve the right, without warning or notification, to remove comments and block users judged to violate our Terms of Service and Rules of Engagement. Facebook comments FAQ

Join thousands of azcentral.com fans on Facebook and get the day's most popular and talked-about Valley news, sports, entertainment and more - right in your newsfeed. You'll see what others are saying about the hot topics of the day.